FAILURE TO FUTURE – when life falls apart, runs to Jesus!
God uses failure in our lives to teach us we are totally dependent on Him for our future
Luke 22:24-46
The Disciples Argue About Greatness (people want attention)
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
Take No Baggage for the Road (good or bad)
No Prayer in the Garden (we will fail without prayer)
I HAVE PRAYED FOR YOU (Romans 8:34)
Here are some swords! 22:38 We have a tendency to be self-sufficient until we realize we are total failures apart from Jesus
This follows Peter’s great confession “You are the Christ”
The Look of Grace Luke 22:61-62 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And he went outside and wept bitterly.
This was not the look of condemnation, I told you so, but the look of grace, the look of “I have prayed for you!"
PETER RUNS TO FIND JESUS Luke 24:12
PARALYZED BY PAST FAILURE John 21:3 - I am going fishing
Many people are paralyzed by their own failures that God is ready to forget
JESUS COMES TO THEM CARING
‘It is the LORD!” - Peter still recognizes Jesus
Peter threw himself into the water John 21:7 – A point must come where we abandon ourselves fully even in our failure
MY DEPRAVITY SHOULD DRIVE ME TO JESUS
Peter went from a self-sufficient arrogant disciple to entirely dependent on Jesus because he had experienced total failure in himself
People who think they are good/okay do not come to Jesus
“Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces. Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions.” Matthew Henry
Throw yourself into the water, run to Jesus!
LETS HAVE BREAKFAST John 21:12
Jesus is not here to recount his failure
Jesus is here to focus on the future
Do you love me more than these? (Fish, friends, family, possessions etc)
DO YOU LOVE ME?
John Piper: “Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It’s a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don’t want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel.” (*God Is the Gospel*, 47)
FEED MY LAMBS - Focusing on our failure becomes selfish when we try to go back to doing what we used to do
Life is going to get hard for you – so FOLLOW ME! John 21:19
Zechariah 3:1-7 – Clean Garments for the High Priest
“The Lord rebuke you Satan!” God will take off our filthy clothes of failure and give us robes of splendor for our future.
EVERY TRIAL IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VICTORY
“Those times when you feel like quitting can be times of great opportunity, for God uses your troubles to help you grow.” Warren Wiersbe
You being here tonight is a Victory!
Stop feeding your failure and FEED MY LAMBS!
“You can’t be pitiful and be powerful” Joyce Meyers
A CHURCH TRANSFORMATION
Be Prepared – don’t wait for the crisis be ready for it
God is calling us to the future and the future is NOW
“I wonder if it is worse for kids if their parents are not fully committed to Christ.” YES!!!!
We are becoming missionaries without going away – we should not expect them to be like us – we must learn their language.
Instead of staring with contempt at people who seem different than you, go to them and love them to Jesus. Instead of waiting for someone to respond, get out of your seat you have been sitting in for twenty years and sit with them. FEED MY LAMBS!
Modern Church: “We’ve been so concerned about being cool, relevant, and fun that we have forgotten to be bread, light and life to a hungry, dark and dying world.” Eric Ludy
Changing the name of the church to something cool is not going to reach this culture - we must recognize the urgency before us. FEED MY LAMBS!!!
TWO MINUTE WARNING! Men’s Group – Sky Yabrough – We are in the last 2 Minutes of the 4th Quarter - we must totally rethink how we do ministry. We do not have time for huddles and debates on whether we should do something, but we need to be led by the Holy pirit in new approaches to ministry to this generation. FEED MY LAMBS!!!
Feed My Lambs! More than these...
Abraham chose God over his home and family. Will you put God before “these?” Your possessions, work, family? “If I have to choose between my blood brothers and my Christian brothers, the choice is clear to me – this has changed my life.”
God is calling a new generation to reach the next generation.
“Obedience opens the Heavens” TD Jakes
Abraham learned obedience through failure. And we read many stories in the Bible of victory following failure, including Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost.
It is not our perfection that inspires people (in fact that often discourages people who cannot keep up), but the fact that others see Christ and His grace overcoming our failures and struggles as we confess our faults and repent. (James 5:16)
"You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again." Psalm 71:20.
